Definition of paleontology - What it is, Meaning and Concept

The paleontology is the science that is in charge of studying the missing organic beings, through the analysis of their fossil remains.The term has Greek origin: palaces ( "old" ), onto ( "be" ) and logos ( “science” ).

Paleontology is part of the natural sciences and shares different methods with the biology and the geology .Its main objects of study are the reconstruction of living beings already extinct, the origin and evolution of these, the relationships between them and their environment, their migrations, the processes of extinction and the fossilization of its remains.

This science is divided into different branches, such as paleozoology (which is usually known simply as paleontology and is dedicated to the study of extinct animals), paleogeography (study the geography and topography of the past), the paleobotanic (is responsible for plant beings and their taxonomy) and the paleoclimatology (linked to meteorology).

Since, as we mentioned earlier, Paleontology is responsible for studying fossils, we cannot ignore that one of the most important branches within this discipline is the one called Taphonomia.Specifically, it What it does is analyze and investigate what are the formation processes of the aforementioned fossils.Yes, it has as main objects of studies processes such as diagenesis, which deals with sediments, and decomposition.

Branches all of them next to which is also the well-known science of Paleoecology, which is the one that is responsible for carrying out the aforementioned study and analysis of the fossils found to, from them, be able to determine the ecosystems that existed at that time, that is, during the different geological stages.

In addition to all the above, it is worth highlighting the name of some of the most famous paleontologists that have existed throughout history, because thanks to their work we have been able to discover authentic prehistoric jewels.Among the characters of this The best-known type is, for example, the Englishman Charles Darwin to whom we owe the work entitled "The origin of species through natural selection or the preservation of preferred races in the struggle for life."

The French Georges Cuvier or the American Joseph Leidy, who discovered unknown species so far, have been other of the most relevant paleontologists so far.

To reconstruct the fossils, even the missing parts, and get to know what extinct beings (like the dinosaurs ) had in life, paleontology uses several principles. Biological actualism allows you to interpret fossils with the acceptance of certain physical and biological laws. comparative anatomy , meanwhile, allows you to locate the fossils within a general picture of living things.

Paleontologists also appeal to functional morphology to analyze the relationships between form and function, and to the principle of organic correlation , which postulates that the parts of organic beings complement each other and determine others.

It should be noted that paleontologists have mechanical methods (such as percussion and abrasion techniques) and chemical methods for the extraction and cleaning of fossils.